In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, five damaged New Orleans schools were fast-tracked for reconstruction. Local firm Eskew+Dumez+Ripple designed one of these “quick start” projects, L.B. Landry High School, to withstand both the Gulf Coast’s frequent hurricanes and everyday humidity. With a high-reflectance roof, insulated metal-panel cladding, and a glass curtainwall, the 236,000-square-foot building targets energy performance 32 percent below baseline. Three wings of the building wrap around a central courtyard, which admits daylight and captures runoff. Even with a tight time frame—six months for design, 20 months for construction—and the relative lack of energy-efficient construction expertise in the area, the architects anticipate LEED Silver certification. The school itself serves as a classroom, juror Ted Landsmark said: “I think some of the young people attending this school will consider a career in architecture because they’ve experienced this kind of good design.”